University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, front, on retiring athletics director Joel Maturi,
right: “He’s a wonderful, wonderful man. But he generates a broad range of reaction in the
community on both ends.”

Six days ago, University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said during athletics director Joel Maturi’s retirement announcement that it was a mutual decision for both sides to part ways after Maturi’s contract ends June 30.

But Kaler said during an interview with the Pioneer Press on Tuesday that extending Maturi another year or two would have been in contrast to his view that bringing in a new AD to replace Maturi was going to happen “sooner or later.”

Kaler also talked about the AD search process and a timetable for basketball coach Tubby Smith’s contract extension discussions.

Maturi told us in September that he might not want to return as AD if the negativity toward him kept him from doing his job. Did that factor into your decision?

It was probably part of Joel’s thinking. He’s a wonderful, wonderful man. But he generates a broad range of reaction in the community on both ends. There are people who love him, and there are people who don’t. That’s for him to balance. I didn’t take a huge amount of that input into my decision. The real factor in my decision was Joel was up in 2012. If I offered him a year or two years, it wouldn’t (have worked). I plan on being here a long time. I was going to be making a transition in the AD position sooner or later. Joel and I got to the point where sooner was better than later. So I know when I bring in my person, I’ll have a longer running time with him and we’ll be able to put our stamp on Gophers athletics. Might as well get to that now.

Was that the thinking in giving Gophers football coach Jerry Kill a longer contract (seven years instead of five)?

Absolutely. The extra year was my decision to give because he’s going to need that time. He’ll be evaluated as well as how he does in terms of academic and behavioral development of his players and how well he, obviously, does on the field. I feel he’s going to need that period of time to ramp the program back up. If he fails miserably before that, then I would have made a mistake. But I don’t think I did.

When did you have the final conversation with Maturi about both of you deciding it was time to move on?

We had conversations dating back to last year. We began to come to convergence probably, I would say, two weeks before the week of the press conference.

Would you still have wanted to make a change now if Maturi told you he wanted to remain as AD another year?

That’s a hypothetical thing. We didn’t go there, so I can’t really speculate on that conversation. The important thing is that he and I had an open discussion on what made sense for Joel Maturi and the University of Minnesota. We both got to this place, and both agreed it was the right answer.

Former U President Bob Bruininks wanted to extend Maturi last year before you replaced him. What would you have done if Maturi had accepted that?

I think Joel would have been under contract. He was offered two more years beyond that. That would have been a much more complicated process to let him go.

Is there a timetable on extension talks for Tubby Smith?

When the season is over, it will come into view. The next AD is going to have to weigh in on any potential extension. But I will say, I’m not ruling out extensions before the new AD starts. But the new AD will have to be identified and have a role in any extension decision. We’re talking about Gophers basketball, so we have to go all the way through to the end of March Madness because we’re still going to be playing. That gets you to the first of April. I would think we would have an AD identified by early June or late May. So we’re talking just a few weeks of time.

Does Smith have to make the NCAA tournament to get an extension?

Any extension that we offer Tubby will reflect what he has done in the contract prior to that. Obviously, recent success at the end of the season is going to put him in a better place to talk about an extension than going 0-7 in the rest of the league.

Have you indicated to Smith that he will get an extension regardless of how the season ends?

I haven’t said that directly to Tubby. But there are a lot of people in those conversations. Certainly, I’m open to the discussion of extending his contract. I think that’s probably the best I can say.

There has been some flak from politicians about Maturi’s $350,000 salary after he retires as AD; how do you respond to that?

There’s a real job for Joel to do, and he’s going to do it. He works harder than anyone I know. His principal job next year is going to be fundraising. He will raise for the institution far more money than we’re paying him in this salary. The salary is a big number. I get that. But it’s 70 percent of the total compensation he’ll get this year. And he will earn it.

Is Stony Brook AD Jim Fiore a candidate for the AD position? Is he the front-runner because of your experience working with him?

I can’t say whether he’s a candidate or not. We’re going to engage a search firm and put that process in place….We’re doing a national search. I’m sure we’ll surface some very interesting candidates, maybe some unconventional candidates who come in and really impress the community and impress me. You can’t rule out a wild card. Somebody who has been a CEO of a corporation, there are models where folks like that have become ADs. I’m not ruling that out.

Does the next AD have to have experience working with you?

No. It certainly is not at the top of the list. I can make new friends pretty easily.

Have you hired a search firm? Where is the process right now?

We have not yet hired a search firm. We will hire a search firm. There will be a search committee, but we haven’t identified all the members yet. It will be led by University of Minnesota leaders, and it will be representative of a cross section of the athletics department and the community. Part of the advisory committee that we’re putting together is going to be listening and learning from a wide range of other groups. We certainly will welcome and encourage the applications from minority individuals.

Many boosters and former Gophers athletes are hoping the next AD has ties to Minnesota or is a U graduate. How much is that a priority?

I have a Minnesota root. I left and came back. I think that’s pretty healthy. … Ties to Minnesota would be a plus but not a requirement. Absolutely it was a plus for me. But it’s not on that first list of requirements. I understand that people are very passionate about the need for it to be someone with Minnesota ties, for it to be an “M” man. I hear and respect all of those elements. But I want the best-qualified person.

Do you have a timetable for when you will have finalists for the job? When will you start the interview process?

It’s too early to know. My intention is to have the next AD in place before Joel’s contract is up (June 30). We’re moving along expeditiously. We’re certainly pulling all of these pieces together. From what I understand, the timeline for these searches are usually pretty quick. I would hope to be able to announce the search advisory committee within a week, plus or minus (and interviews would come after that).

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